TallTale
by AnimationMutation
Summary: A lost new mutant tries to find her way, only to get pulled into something she wasn't ready for. Post X-MEN, prequel to a ToadXOC that will be coming. ON HOLD.
1. Chapter 1

_Jell-o reader of Fan-fics. This here is a prequel of the actual story that will be made…eventually… It's set a few years before the Liberty Island incident and is a Toad/OC thing. I will and am doing everything in my power to keep this from being a Marry Sue__._

_NOTE: Toad will NOT be in this one, nor will he be in the next…honestly, I'm not sure when he'll hop in, but it won't be during this little story set-up, so don't ask…_

_X-Men is owned by the awesomeness that is Stan Lee and Marvel._

_The main character, along with a few others, are mine._

_With this in mind, lets roll!_

**

**

The bus driver glanced in to his rearview mirror for the fourth time that night, his eyes landing on the only figure. The person was female due to their noticeable bust, even through their hoodie. The hood was up, head kept down. Had been that way since she had gotten on about two hours ago. He wondered if the girl was asleep. The last stop was coming up, and he wasn't allowed to go any farther.

"Excuse me, miss," He went to gently nudge her shoulder, only to have her abruptly stand in a hunched position. It was then he noticed how incredibly large her pants were. How'd she keep them on her waist?

"Is this the last stop?" Her voice was deeper than what he was used to hearing from a young woman.

"Yeah. 'Fraid you're going to have to get off here." He stepped aside as she passed, only to stop before exiting the bus.

"By the by, where is 'here'?"

"North Miami, miss. This is North East 151st St. Head down that way you'll hit a college. You might want to be careful. Not exactly the friendliest of places at night," he warned. She shifted a little before nodding a 'thank you' and stepped onto the sidewalk.

She watched the bus disappear down the street before glancing around. There wasn't anyone around, none that she could see anyway. She was glad that she had taken a bus that went north this time around. She was never good with directions. Miami, Florida was a rough place; muggers, gangs, drug dealers and weed farmers. At least that's what rumors told her. This is where she could sign her death warrant. She found herself in what she hoped was a more secluded location. One way looked like it was heading to a more populated area, the other leading to the college was wooded and far too dark for comfort. Her hands fidgeted in her hoodie pocket as she watched a car pass. She sank her head lower in the hood to keep her nose from numbing in the chilly air and pressed on toward the lit buildings. She'd take her chances in the more populated area.

She moved down the sidewalk, flip-flopping her thoughts on how she came to be in this predicament. She had had the house to herself on that day, her parents taking her younger brother to his soccer game while she stayed in bed with a fever from the night before.

It wasn't unusual for her to get sick when the weather was warm and pleasant. It was a sign that the warm would be getting much colder soon; the more intense the illness, the colder it would get. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for Florida's bipolar weather. 98-degrees with 97-humidity for a week, then 64-degrees for a random twenty-four hours before jumping back up to Ninety-eight. Pissed her off.

But, it wasn't the weather making her ill this time around. She couldn't say what it was for the longest time. While her fever was only for a day, she had been getting pains here and there for a long while. Her feet, hands, ears, and spine were what where really bugging her. At first she ignored her hands, thinking it was from writing too much; her English honors teacher knew how to keep them busy. She figured her feet pain was from when she almost tripped over her puppy and landed on her foot strangely. Her back was easy; she never did have the best posture. And her ears? She had gotten them pierced a few weeks prier: five in the left, four in the right. Her mother had freaked. She couldn't wait to see her mothers' reaction when she came home with two more rings in her right eyebrow.

She'd never be able to see her mothers' face again, though…

Her body was shifting, growing, as she unknowingly yelled in her sleep that morning. She had been abruptly awoken to a pounding head, a throbbing body, and her mothers' screams. She didn't understand why her mother was yelling. She never got upset over a soccer game.

It wasn't until her legs gave way to pain as she was pulled from bed that she figured something was wrong. She remembered her mother continuously asking her what she did to herself. What did she do? She hadn't gotten the tattoos that she wanted yet.

Ellie sighed as she kicked a rock, watching it roll into the street. As it turns out her body was changing to a slight reptilian look; she just lacked scales. Her once pale pink skin was now more of a light orange and her ears grew to be long, and rounded, like a goat. These physicality's were what had gotten her parents upset.

She was a mutant. One that couldn't be so easily hidden; her physical mutation worsened as the days passed. Her parents did what they could to hide and comfort her; they never minded mutants so much, just so long as they weren't threatened by them. Her eleven-year-old brother was jealous. He couldn't wait to turn seventeen and sprout a tail, no matter how painful he was told it was.

That tail…That was the thing that just about put her in her grave. Her spinal column, spinal cord, nerves, skin, muscles, blood vessels, and whatever else was located in the area had to grow and lengthen. She was bed ridden for about two weeks during growth; the new thin appendage reached a good seven feet.

The pains in her hands and feet had started to reach to her arms and legs when her tail was fully grown. They didn't hurt anywhere near as bad as her tail had, but she had become immobile once again. Her hands merely grew to a large size. What worried her was when two of her fingers merged to make a hand of four digits. She didn't have much of a problem until she found that her pencil was far too small for her to use. Her feet were a little worse in both pain and physical appearance. This would be the hardest to hide. Her feet grew to be bigger than her hands; toes merging with one another to make three large reptilian-like toes. Her heels rose off the ground to where she was walking with digigrade feet. Well, looking for shoes would no longer be a problem.

When it was all said and done about three months later, Ellie thought she looked…cool. Her tail came in real handy with gathering items, she was quicker despite her bulky frame, and her hearing was never better (though her mother had teased her, saying that she could never again make a 'I didn't hear you' excuse). And, much to her delight, her strength increased greatly.

There were set backs, though. Her larger limbs made her rather clumsy in the smaller house, and her puppy had a habit of seeing her long tail as a chew toy. Falling asleep had become difficult now that she could hear every creak and groan in the house. Her hands were so much larger that she was unable to handle everyday objects without a struggle. She had to be real carful of softer objects, and the tile floor and counter tops with her new talon like nails. But, worst of all, she couldn't leave the house. While her parents were accepting of her mutation, they worried that not everyone else that they knew would be.

She had walked a few blocks when her eyes spotted a sign that read 'Southern Memorial Park.' She thought about it. Yes it was dark, but there were few enough trees to allow some of the streetlights to shine through, and her eyes were sensitive enough now to pick up movement in dim light in case her ears were occupied with another sound. She figured it'd be better to stay in a lightly lighted area than a pitch dark or brightly lit one. She found a good size tree and crawled to the highest branch that would hold her weight. The bark was rather uncomfortable, but it was better then the ground where she could be easily spotted.

***

Morning came all too quickly as the sun burned Ellie's eyelids. Her sensitive ears were picking up some high, rather loud voices. She rolled her head on the tree trunk hoping to sleep a little longer. Her foot began twitching at the feel of something crawling along the bottom. No, not crawling. Something was lightly scrapping the bottom of her large foot.

Peeking through her hood, she glanced down to find a small figure on a branch below her, poking her foot with a long stick.

She froze as a jolt of fear ripped through her spine. Were they going to alert her presence to other around? Scream when they found her to not be 'safe'?

The stick hit a nerve and her foot flexed, causing the child to giggle slightly.

Nope. He was going to continue to poke her foot to watch it spaz.

Ellie pulled her foot up, watching the boys face as it changed from innocent delight to slight panic. He looked up in to the darkness of her hood like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Sorry," he said, as he held the stick behind his back. "Didn' tink it a good idea to sleep so high in a tree. You fall!"

"So you poke me with a stick?"

"To wake you up!" Could anyone truly argue that logic with such a face of innocence staring up at them?

Ellie couldn't help but smile. "Well, you did wake me up, munchkin. Now move over, I'm comin' down."

She landed in the ground with a quiet 'thud' next to the child, now thinking that she would have been better off with him making her foot spaz in the cover of the leaves. It was Saturday and it seemed that everyone and their grandmother was there at the same hour of the morning.

She was about to slink her way out of the park when a tug on her hoodie halted her. Turning around she found the boy holding onto the fabric. "Will you play with me?"

"Sorry, munchkin, I've got places to avo-" Suddenly, a panicked voice filtered its way toward the two, causing the boy to almost yelp.

"Benedict!" A stout woman came all but running in their direction. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?!" She stopped short in her words upon seeing Ellie, who looked nothing short of your standard anti-social outcast.

Benedict pointed an accusing finger up at Ellie, "I found her sleeping in dat tree and went to wake her up before she fall! But, I don' tink she would now! She's got really big lizard-man feet!"

Ellie swore her heart stopped beating just then. The woman was now giving her a strange look. _Ohhh, this is bad…_

**

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*cue dramatic music and exit stage right*


	2. Chapter 2

_Three reviews from chapter one! Woot!_

_So, yeah, I was hoping on doing a chapter a week, and it was going pretty good with these first two. However, my new class just started for college this week and is rather demanding. I'm really wanting to give it beyond my all since this is a retake. Hopefully I'll have more of an idea on the updates when the class ends (at the end of the month) and if next months classes aren't as hectic…Which I doubt since this school sucks out your soul…hmmm…sleeeeeep…_

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"Damn, did I ever luck out…" Ellie muttered through her coke. She had just finished her meal at a Golden Coral she was directed to. She usually protested against going to one of these when she was still with her parents, saying the selection was pitiful and the food was vial. But this had been the best food she had had since she left home a little over three days ago. It was crowded, but it worked since this one was cheap, and a buffet would ensure a lasting full stomach. She even bought a large pair of gloves to help hide her hands, tucking the empty fifth finger out of sight.

The woman from the park was the kids' babysitter, as well as a mutant herself, which surprised Ellie. The childs' family was a mutant friendly one that hired her as a babysitter to help her through college. When she heard Ellies' story she gave her a good chunk of money, saying that she would not have a sister sleeping in a tree when the days were getting colder. She said that Ellie would have been welcome to stay with her for a while if she wasn't so difficult to hide. Her roommate was anti-mutant.

Ellie left the buffet with a full belly and a pocket full of cash. This would make things a little easier. She had very little money when she started, walking to wherever her feet would take her. Some begging outside of a Wal-Mart got her enough to hitch a ride on a bus. Unfortunately, her sense of direction was so off, that she wound up taking a bus that headed back south, farther south than where she used to live. So, the rest of her money was spent on the ride back north, which landed her in Miami. With this new money though, she might be able to get a cab to take her to at least the boarder of Alabama or Georgia.

Now, however, she wanted a place for the night so she could at least shower and wash her clothes. She hoped she didn't smell too bad. And in the privacy of a hotel room, she could finally let her tail out. It was rather uncomfortable to have it wrapped around one leg for almost three days strait. She was sure there would be plenty of kinks to work out of it.

She was told that a real cheap motel sat a good ways off from where she was, but as long as she got to sleep in a warm, dry bed, she wouldn't complain about another mile or so of a walk. She just hoped that she got there before night set in. She didn't know this town and really didn't want to know how it became during the darker hours.

Unfortunately, she was unable to arrive at the motel before dark set in. A car wreck had forced her to take another rout. She could have cut through a few yards to save a good chunk of time, but she rather not have to risk being seen by the owners.

Sirens cried in the background, lifting her uneasiness of the silence slightly. She held her hands together tightly inside her hoodie pocket, trying to keep from shivering.

Four blocks.

Her ears heard muffled sounds from the inside of the hood, the wind helping to distort it further.

Three blocks.

She could hear faint broken shouts.

Two blocks.

Were the sirens getting louder?

A body suddenly ran smack into her from around the corner, causing both to topple to the ground. In her daze, she failed to notice that her hood fell off her head as the person shouted at her. She was pretty sure they were blaming the fall on her.

The thudding of feet brought her back to reality as the person stood and took off. The sirens must have been just around the corner, for her ears where ringing with their wails. Bright lights blinded her as large shadows quickly made their way toward her.

She was suddenly pulled roughly to her feet from her forearm and dragged with the runners, away from the red and blue lights.

Ellie didn't fully comprehend what was happening until another police car halted in front of them, allowing the ones behind to catch up. Her sore arm was released as its holder moved closer to the group ahead of them. She counted four people in the light, who took defensive stances.

She just stood there, dumbfounded. She had a slight indication of what was going on, but her brain didn't seem to want to comprehend it. She had been pulled into the middle of a chase, the cops probably thinking that she was with these people.

Guns were being cocked as shouts of 'don't move' and such were shouted. She jumped as her captor bumped her arm from behind.

"You get the front. I get the back. Got it?"

"Got what? I'm not-!" She was suddenly shoved forward, heading strait into the line of fire. What little reflexes she had saved her neck as she hopped to the side and scampered off to a darker spot. The gunfire, however, followed her.

She was terrified. The only thing she could think of doing was getting them to stop shooting; at least at her.

She continued to move about, from car top to car top, just missing the bullets. She lunged at one officer, feet first, slamming him into the concrete. She winced slightly as she felt a few of his bones break from under her weight.

Her expression extended to a painful cringe as several rounds were logged into her back. She ducked and scurried under a car, hoping beyond hope that they would not pursue.

Her ears were ringing with the sound of gunfire and shouts as she curled into a tight ball, her body shaking uncontrollably. She was scared and in pain, her clothes becoming warm with her trickling blood.

She didn't notice it when the guns stopped, or when voices were arguing with one another, let alone when they stopped. Nor did she notice the car above her moving.

_I'm not here. I'm with my family. I'm not hurt, just sore from where my brother tackled me from behind during-_

She felt herself being lifted, her eyes seeing nothing but blurs. She cried out in agony as the wounds in her back were slammed into a brick wall, her head making hard contact as well.

"The fuck you _thinking?!_ I gave you a fuckin' order and you bale under a fuckin' car! Quit'cher damn cryin'!"

Ellie sniffled, trying to see past the tears she didn't know she was making and hair that was starting to stick to her face. A rather short man held her above the ground by the front of her hoodie. She couldn't really make anything else out other than a long mass of dark wild hair in the streetlight.

She chocked slightly trying to spew out an answer, only to have a surprisingly smooth hand push her short brown hair away from her face. "The fu- Who the hell are you?! Where the hell's Glitch?!"

Ellie was dropped to the ground as the man turned to the others, "He fuckin' run off before I said ta' go, cops know where we are, an' now he's fuckin' gone! Schmitt!" He grabbed one of the three, pulling him down to his shorter height. "You an' him close, what the hell's in his head?!"

As Ellie sat stalk still on the ground watching the verbal quarrel, she couldn't help but wonder: where were the cops? Her eyes chanced a glance around the pavement, praying that there was at least one still left to help. She suddenly noticed a particular smell, like burning meat or smoldering flesh. She turned her head to make better since of the now deserted area when the shorter man roughly pulled her to her feet.

"Where Glitch at?"

"Wh-who?" She was slammed against the wall again.

"Don't fuck with me, bitch! Where's Glitch?! He turns a corner and you there in his place! Where is'e!"

She sucked in a painful breath as her back throbbed. "I don't know any Glitch! Honest! Someone ran into me and we fell over! He ran off before I could do anything!"

The gangster eyed her watery face with a rather menacing sneer before letting her drop to her feet. Still keeping a firm grip on her with one hand, he turned to look back at where the police were. Ellies' eyes followed, air hitching in her throat at the sight.

Now that she was able to see over a car that was blocking her view she could clearly see the officers' bodies had been blackened, their faces melted. Their uniforms had been charcoaled and torn with little whiffs of smoke rising from them. Now she knew where the smell was coming from. But how did it happen? Unless… She glanced back at the man holding her. He seemed to be the leader and was the one who gave her an 'order.' Was he a mutant as well?

He was saying something to the others, two of them now walking up with a body draped between them. This one didn't have the smoky smell, nor seemed to have any burns anywhere.

The two tore off his uniform top and turned him so she could see his back clearly. There was heavy bruising along the rib cage and lower part of the neck; his spine seemed to be a little too flimsy for what would be considered natural for a man his size. What caught her eye were the six small punctures along his back.

"This da' guy she stomped, Inferno," one of the carriers started. "Spine's all messed up. Dude's limper then a friggin' ragdoll!"

'Inferno' felt around the dead mans' punctures, sticking his finger in one to see its depth. His finger sunk in pretty far considering the man had been wearing a bulletproof vest.

She suddenly felt sick.

He turned back to her; only his head was down, looking toward the bottom of her baggy pants. She didn't move, too much in shock upon seeing the man she killed. He pulled a pant leg up, exposing a large, clawed foot.

Inferno stood strait, his dark eyes staring at her face, then shifting to the side of her head. He moved her hair to the side to look at her goated ears. He snarled when he saw that she had started to cry again.

"Jonesi, Carter. You two dig through the cops shit and bring back anythin' 'at's lethal lookin'. Schmitt, you comin' back with us."

Ellie didn't hear this, though. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the officer who she had crushed and killed. _Killed._ The only thing she had ever killed was an opponent in a video game. But this wasn't a code and digital pixels; this was a living, breathing human being who had a life. He had a background, a history, maybe even a family. And _she_ took it from him in a split second.

_Oh Lord…_

***

Inferno sat in a chair across from his bed in his apartment room taking long drags from his cigarette. Ellie lied on his bed, completely zoned out. She had been in her stupefied state ever since they had left the scene several hours ago. Her back wounds had been cleaned and dressed, though the holes were still bleeding a little.

He wasn't in a hurry to snap her out of it. Better to have her mind mull through on its own time rather than have her go into hysterics over somebody that she killed was how he saw it.

Crushed. She had _crushed_ the guy. Yeah, she looked large with her oversized clothes, but even if she really was that size, she shouldn't have been able to kill him. That was his initial thought until he saw her feet. Things were fucking _huge._ And as if the feet themselves weren't enough, the talons that jutted out from her toes were sugar coating.

He didn't really have a reason for taking her with him, other than she was a mutant. Inferno had respect for his fellow mutant, and this chick, no matter how much of a pansy she portrayed herself to be, was family in a sense. It was also for a more personal reason…

A bang at the door caused him to be pulled out of his thoughts. He found Carter shifting his weight on the balcony.

"'Ey, boss. She up yet?"

Inferno stepped out, closing the door behind him. "Nah', she still out'a it. How 'bout you? Anythin' on Glitch?"

"Not a fuckin' thing, man. I've asked everyone. He nowhere, man." He watched as Inferno started to chew on his cigarette butt, a sign he recognized as bitter thoughts crossing the mind. "You think he blew out?"

"No clue. Damnit, I don't wanna' think'e did! He been nothin' but loyal since I brought'im on.

"You know you were neva' good at pickin' the right people for us, man. I usually gotta' do'at."

"You weren't here when Glitch showed up. I wasn' gonna' let'im in 'til you got back, but…" Inferno crushed his cigarette between glowing red fingers as he looked out over the darkened town.

"He's a mutant. Like you." Carter finished for him. "Boss, I've known you ever since Mikey brought me under his wing. I been by you every day after he got killed, followin' every order an' standin' for you when anyone started talkin' shit 'bout you, man. When I met Glitch, I didn' like'm. Hoenstly, I still don't; dude's shifty. But when I saw ya' with'im; I ain't ev'a seen you so comfortable around some one, even me. An' while I love ya' like a brother, I know there be somethin's only mutants can discuss between them own kind. An' you needed it, even if the discussions were only beatin' the shit outt'a each otha', cause you couldn' do 'at with any of us 'normies'. You'd melt our faces off!"

This got a barked laugh from Inferno. "Fuck yeah! None ya'll's asses be standin' a chance 'ginst me!"

His smile faded quickly, though. "Sill. Makes me nervous if Glitch out there when I now questionin' where his loyalties lie."

"Wha' he gonna' do? He a hacker. He taps fuckin' phones an' computers."

"'At's what makes nervous-" A loud thump from inside Infernos' apartment caused the two to cease their conversation. "Sound like someone's up. I'll see ya' later."

Ellie cursed lightly as she held her foot. She had been waiting for Inferno to leave for a while, now. She had been in her vegetative state for a good while, mulling over the mans death. It was still eating at her. But she knew she couldn't sulk over something that had already past, especially in a place that she had no recollection of being brought to.

She didn't really remember anything after seeing the officers' body, save for waking up in a shabby apartment room with the smell of cigarette smoke choking her. She didn't really notice her back pain until she decided to move when Inferno left. It greatly restricted movement.

She cursed lightly under her breath at the metal bed leg she had banged her toe on. She was going to try and find a way out before any of the gang members came into the room. But, there was so much clutter on the floor and the room was so dark she couldn't make out anything. She hoped no one was around to hear the racket she was making.

Her hope was shattered quite quickly as the door opened to Inferno standing over her.

**

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_The ending seems rushed to me. Does the ending seem rushed to you?_

_Ahh, yes. Yet again, I leave you with a taste. This is quite fun!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Greetings readers! I apologize for not having this out sooner, but as I said in the last post my schedule is pretty freakin' hectic. Well, May's classes are over; hopefully I passed this time around (I'm thinking that I did). So, I'm sitting in the hallway, waiting for my new class to open the doors. I don't know when the nest part will be up, due to this class being just a sleep depriving as last month. Enjoy~_

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Ellie stared up at the imposing figure as he moved farther into the room, lightly closing the door behind.

"Where the hell you goin'?" He received no answer other than a small noise from the back of her throat. He took her roughly by her forearm, ignoring her small cry of protest and tossed her none too carefully onto the bed.

Ellie scrambled to the headboard, getting as far as she could from the man. She mustered a little growl when he sat facing her at the end of the mattress.

"Shut the fuck up. You an' me know you ain't gonna' do shit. Ain't gotta' fuckin' backbone..." He stuck a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it with a single glowing finger.

That small bit of light in the dark room was enough for her to make out two prompt scars running along Infernos' pale face. One started under his left eye, crossing over his nose before falling in a curve under the right eye. The other diagonally crossed under the right eye, forming a short 'x' with the other scar.

His finger smoldered back to its black color, which made Ellie wonder if the black was due to the burning heat. Though, oddly enough, his hand looked like it had more of a shine to it rather than rough skin.

Ellie scrunched her nose reflexively from the fresh smoke that was exhaled. Inferno watched her reaction, seemingly indifferent to her uncomfortable state. He took a deep drag and released the toxins into her face. She merely held her breath, pathetically swatting away the smoke with her large hand.

Inferno made a disapproving sound before standing. "No fuckin' backbone…"

He moved over to a pile of clothes the sat in a corner. He shuffled through them, glancing at Ellie every now and then. She wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing; only watching him to make sure he didn't get too close.

She was startled when a shirt was tossed to her, shortly fallowed by a pair of sweatpants. "Those should fit. Bathrooms ova' there."

Ellie didn't budge from her spot. This man, a very dangerous man, was basically telling her to strip down to nothing while he would most likely still be in the room. And even though a shower was a very tempting thought, there was a fat chance she was going to give him an opportunity to peek. Or become vulnerable enough for him to easily rape her. She'd seen far too many episodes of _Law and Order._

Inferno flopped himself on the bed giving the teenager a side-glance. "You either get in there or I kick you in there. You stinkin' up the room."

When she didn't move, Infernos' bare, black foot came in contact with the side of her face. She gave a startled yelp as she lost balance and tumbled to the floor, banging against the wall.

"Now get the fuck in there."

Ellie sat up, rubbing her abused back to find Infernos' foot hanging in her face. Now seeing it up close, even in the rooms dimness, she could see that it wasn't black skin that covered areas of Inferno, but _scales_. She watched in fascination as each scale began to shift in color, becoming a deep red. She felt a light heat rising in waves from them as they began to move closer. Infernos' burning foot was mere inches away from her nose before she finally scampered out of the way and into the bathroom, locking the door.

"Damn…" Inferno muttered to himself, "What a puss."

Ellie had never loved water as much as she did the moment the hot droplets began pounding on her head. She had spent a good hour in the small restroom trying to force herself to take her eyes off the door; terrified that a horny gang member would bust in and slam her to the ground. When she calmed her nerves somewhat she stripped, taking care not to disturb her bandages.

Seeing those made her shiver a little. Who put those on?

She was a mess when she examined herself in the mirror. Her nails, or claws depending on how one saw them, had dirt and muck caked in them. Her hair was a greasy birds nest, framing her equally greased face. Here brown eyes were puffy and red, still shining slightly with tears from earlier.

She had had a time painfully prying her tail from around her leg, which now looked more red than pale orange. She had gone through and popped every joint, gritting her teeth through some of the more painful crooks, until she could move the appendage with mild discomfort. Never again would she go so long without stretching it.

She didn't really want to leave the shower, even after the water started to turn lukewarm. Though she knew that a flimsy door wouldn't keep intruders out she still felt safer behind the cheep plastic curtain.

The clothes Inferno provided her with were big enough to fit over her bulky frame, though she did have to make a little hole for her tail.

Ellie unlocked the door, cracking it open to see that light was starting to filter through the blinded window. She could see Infernos' feet at the end of the bed. Her ears twitched when a soft snore flitted through the room. He was asleep. Maybe she could get out.

She began to make her way as quietly as she could toward the exit, taking care to avoid anything but carpet on the floor. Inferno was still snoozing away when she started to unbolt the door.

She hesitated.

She couldn't go out into the world without having herself completely covered. She'd stick like a black dot on white paper. She didn't know where her little bag was, and it held her money. But, she couldn't stay here. They'd probably wind up killing her.

_Society will do the same thing once you stepped into open air._

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear a grunt from the bed, or the padding footsteps making their way toward her. She did, however, feel herself being turned around harshly, her injured back once again finding itself banged against a hard surface.

Ellie hissed out a protest as Inferno glared hard at her. "I fuckin' let you into my home and give you my fuckin' bed to use. I let you use my damn shower, which you were in fuckin' long enough to up my fuckin' water bill. I even went and let you pathetically _cry_ ova' that damn cop! An' you think you just gonna' up and leave without so much as a fuckin' 'thanks'?"

Ellie wasn't given a chance to respond as she was once again thrown to the bed, this time Inferno pinned her down.

"Ya' know, I always heard from others that a joint tastes its best after a good, long fuck. I never thought 'bout tryin' it before…"

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_Until next time, neh!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello, once again. I'm on the verge of collapsing at the moment, I'm just so exhausted, but I have so much to do. I have to model a bowling ally by Monday, and Maya (modeling/animation program that hates everyone it comes in contact with) is being a beast. And now that rain has finally started to make itself known again here in Florida, making everything oh so _pleasantly_ muggy, my migraines have been more frequent. And my medication for it basically makes me 'drunk,' which my buddies at school love to watch me stumble around during breaks. Basterds… _

**

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Ellie immediately started to react against Infernos' movements, but couldn't seem to get her limbs to work right. Inferno pressed himself against her, forcing her hands above her head as his tongue sloppily ran over her neck. His free hand trailed down her side, pulling at the hem of her sweatpants.

Out of a pull of fear, Ellie brought her mouth to Infernos' shoulder and bit down as hard as she could. She felt a slight 'crunch' through his shirt. A rather higher pitched yell rang in her ear as Inferno grabbed her neck and yanked her away.

Staring up into those dark, forbidding eyes sent a chill through Ellie. She could practically inhale his anger.

He pulled his fist back, releasing her hands. Reflex caught his hand before it could reach its destination. Inferno was struggling to move his hand in any direction, but it was clamped too tightly in her larger one.

She wriggled her legs, pushing her feet up under Infernos' belly. Pulling together all she could muster, she pushed Inferno off of her, his shirt tearing from her talons.

He was flung back hard and fast, cracking the wall on impact. It took a moment for his eyes to come back into focus. Had he ever been hit that hard?

Ellie still sat on the bed, slightly shaking from fear of nearly being raped and from the strength she didn't know she had. Her brain wasn't functioning properly at the moment; in her minds eye she was already at the door, trying to undo the locks, but her fingers kept going right through them.

Inferno stood wobbly to his feet, cursing as his body throbbed. He glanced at Ellie, whose eyes were slightly glazed over, face in panic, and wondered why she hadn't fled yet. Movement caught his eye by the door to which he looked. He then began questioning his sanity. There Ellie stood, trying to get out, not making a sound. HHer Her fingers where passing through the bolt. But what really got him was that She was _transparent_, fading in and out.

He glanced between the two a few times before carefully making his way over to the one by the door. He went to put a hand on her shoulder, only to have it fade through her, she not noticing. He looked back to the one on the bed again. She was sitting still, eyes unblinking.

"Fuck me sideways…" he muttered. She made a copy of herself.

He glanced down at his dark shirt groaning when he found it ripped beyond repair. This was the only one he ever wore, solely to hide what he really was. In truth, he'd rather walk around without one at all; he was well covered from the scales. But that would mean giving up the title of 'boss' from his gang, at least in his mind.

He pulled it off, tossing it to the floor and plopped himself in front of her, the taste of her skin coming back to his mouth. He made a face and took a moment to spit into the little garbage can by the bed. Never again would a woman come in contact with his mouth. He snapped his fingers in front of her face a few times, pulling her out of her mental haze.

Ellie blinked, the door vanishing as she did, the image being replaced with Inferno sitting in front of her. She yelped and began to panic again when he suddenly cupped the back of her head and covering her mouth.

"Chill. I ain't gonna' do nothin' to ya'. Not afta' you bitch-kicked me to the wall. I gonna' let you go, an' you ain't gonna' make a sound, an' yo ain't gonna' try an' run. Got it?"

Ellie didn't want to 'get it.' She wanted to fling him against the wall again and make a break for it (she briefly wondered why her fingers kept slipping past the locks). She was far too exhausted, however. The past four days where finally taking its toll on her. What other choice did she have? She nodded and swallowed nervously as Inferno released her.

He sat back into his slouched position and glanced back at the door. "How'd ya' do it?"

"Do?"

"'At thing at the fuckin' door. You were there," he got close to her face. "An' you were here. I wanna' know how."

Ellie wondered how mentally stable this man was. She didn't know of anyone who could be two places at once. She certainly couldn't. Then again, there were new mutants being reported who could do stranger things.

"I-I was at the door, trying to get out. I got up and ran over-"

"Bull. Fucking. Shit! You were sittin'er with a fuckin' stupefied look, an' there was anoth'a you at the door! 'At one I could see through!" His voice was rising as well as his anger. "I wake you up an' the one a' the door gone! Tell me, damn it!"

Another her? Was that possible? No, couldn't be. She _knew_ she got up and ran to the door. She was right there, trying to undo the locks. But, how'd she end up on the bed again so suddenly? Inferno sat there fuming at her, waiting for an answer, while she raked her brain trying to find one.

She began to recall times when something similar to this happened. Once, several years ago, when her and her mother had gotten into a fight and Ellie, being immature at the time, had been contemplating running away. She had been in the living room and moved to her room. She went around her room seeing what could be taken with her, and then suddenly found herself back in the living room, still splayed on the couch. She remembered that she never actually _touched_ anything. Her hands had merely grazed through them. That and everything looked somewhat hazy. She could only think to describe the experience as just waking up from a deep sleep, then dozing back off, dreaming so vividly on getting up and beginning the day.

Finally she glanced up at Inferno, hoping that her answer would not invoke his anger any farther. "I honestly don't know."

Inferno cocked an eyebrow. How could she not know? He found his power when he was very young. Hell, he was born with scales, which was why he called the streets home. Weren't all physical mutations received at birth?

"You not born like that? With the tail an' all?"

"N-no." Why was he so curious all of the sudden? He didn't seem angry anymore, either. "I changed only a month or so ago."

"Huh. Guess everybody not like me…I was born like 'dis, but I couldn' burn anthin' 'til I got older." He explained when her face scrunched in confusion. "Your body mutated befo' your actual ability did at a much later age. 'Ey! Don' be givin' me 'at look! I may be livin' on the street with no schoolin', but I know more shit than people gi'me credit for!"

He glanced back to the door again. "You really don' know how you made a copy of ya'self?"

Ellie shook her head, "But I might have done this once or twice before, now that I think about it." It was odd. She was starting to loosen up now, feeling as though this man wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. Though, she was still keeping her distance.

Inferno nodded, but didn't really seem to be paying much attention to what was being said. He was mulling over how to get Ellie to stay, since he'd done such a _swell_ job so far (but, now he knew for sure she wasn't a total coward)… Offering to help her hone her abilities, maybe? It would be nice to have someone around who could relate to- "What?"

Ellie swallowed hard. It took a lot of mustering to ask the first time, in fear of his reaction. "D-do…. Do you plan on…trying to…" she trailed off, unable to force herself say the word again.

"What? Fuck you?"

Not exactly the way she would have put it, but nodded.

She was taken aback when Inferno started laughing. Was that a good sign?

"Hell, no! I'll fuck a guy if'e looks good, but I neva' anoth'a woman!"

Ellie was confused now, and a little off balance from this information. Was he gay? Granted she didn't really have much of a problem with that, it just seemed out of character to her for a gay man to be as rude and violent as Inferno was. But then again, he did say _'another_ woman…'

Without thinking, she blurted quite loudly, "Wait! You're a girl?!"

**

**

_My bed is calling me; unfortunately, this school has given me insomnia…_


	5. Chapter 5

_*Deep bow* I apologize for this taking __**so**__ long. I spent my weeklong summer break working at an old job in a food court (which left me feeling like crap by time I got home, dealing with the pure stupidity of society), instead of writing._

_As an apology __I has a treat for you. I draw a lot, it coming before my writing. In fact, it's kinda' what I'm going to school for (Game Art, baby!). I've been ichin' to do a picture of Ellie, so I finally gave in and did a little sketch. I also have one of Inferno as well. I have a sketch of the two together that I'll get around to putting up whenever I get around to coloring it. Feel free to check'em out._

_/art/Mutant-OC-126039573 (Ellie)_

_/art/Mutant-OC-2-126166583 (Inferno)_

***

***

Ellie found Infernos' hand clasped over her mouth for the second time that morning. "Shut the fuck _up!_ I ain't the only one livin' in this shit excuse for a apartment! These walls be thin an' anyone can come knockin' at my door wheneva' they damn well feel like it."

Inferno released Ellie and made his _her_ way over to the blinds. She peeked through them, satisfied that no one was going to interrupt this conversation.

"Yeah, I'ma' girl."

"Then if you're not going to have…your… _way_…with me, why did you attack me?"

"A test." She flicked on the light switch, filling the small room with a dull light.

Ellie blink a few times for her eyes to adjust and gaped slightly at Inferno. She had pulled the long, wild mass of brown hair behind her shoulders, revealing shinny black scales. They started at her collarbone and lower right shoulder, leaving skin just as pale as her scared face. They followed her arms to the tips of her fingers, and split off just above her belly button, leaving a pale path to below her waistline. Ellie could only assume that scales also covered her legs, as large jeans that hung off of her almost nonexistent hips covered them.

Ellie could see how it was easy to mistake Inferno for a man. Her chest was relatively small, covered well by the scales, and her curves weren't strong either. Her dark brown eyes were hardened from years on the street, her scared and worn face helping to intensify them. Though her body was petite and rather short, she was well muscled. Her lowered voice was most likely from smoking.

"I needed to know if ya' had any fight in ya' an' ya' do. Not s'much as you're gonna' need, but that can be improved. When yer' done ooglin', ya' owe me a new shirt."

"What?" She was beginning to feel foolishly bolder, seeing that this he was a she. "What about all those clothes in the corner?"

Inferno kneeled in front of her mini refrigerator, gritting her teeth. She wasn't used to _anyone_ talking back to her. They would be in excruciating pain otherwise. But, she wanted a woman companion. There were just some things that couldn't be discussed with the male population.

She pulled out a beer and took a long gulp. "None them fit right. They either too big or too small. The shirt you fucked up I liked. Ya' owe me a new one." Her tone told Ellie that there was no room for arguing.

Inferno plopped down on the bed. She glanced at the bottle in her hand, thinking for a moment, before handing it to Ellie.

"I'm underage."

"Hell if it eva' stopped me…" the gangster snorted and downed what was left. "So, what's the story? Ya' pop out a tail an' mommy an' daddy dearest say get the fuck out?"

"No!" Inferno looked taken aback by the sudden outburst. "I-I mean… My parents weren't too fond of mutants, but they did what they could to keep me comfortable…"

Truly, they had tried. Their love for her never faltered after she had changed, only a growing concern for her future well-being. She would still be with her family had it not had been for the attack. She prayed they were still alive.

Ellie glanced up from playing with her tail to Inferno, wondering if her accusation was what had happened to her. She seemed to be mulling over something, a scowl crossing her features. Ellie said nothing though. This woman was being civilized at the moment because she was choosing to be and could snap at any given second. Her earlier question had been foolish and she knew it. She had watched Inferno tense and felt it would be better not to further provoke her temper.

Inferno gripped the glass in her fingers. Ellies' parents kept her. How many times did she dream for someone, _anyone_, to care for her as a mother would? To stay by her side and not disappear? Sure she had the gang, but they were tools who did as they were told out of fear. Even Carter couldn't give her anything close to that.

"So," she started again, thinking it best to change the subject before she attacked the poor girl across from her out of angered envy. "Ya' gotta' name, or do I have'ta' improvise?"

"Ellie, please."

"No, no, Ellie. No manners. You won't get shit if ya' talk like that. People be walkin' all ova' ya' in no time. Think nasty. Come on try it. Make me shake!"

Ellie was a little perturbed by this sudden change in Infernos' character. She wasn't sure if she should embrace it with relief or guide her to a psychologist. But, to try and stay on Infernos' good side, she would attempt.

Scrunching her eyebrows in what she hoped to anger, she raised her voice. "Umm… You'll call me Ellie…damnit!"

"…Damn. The fuck was that?! You gotta' better chance of scarin' a fuckin' two-year-old with that! Get mean! Kick me again if ya' gotta'!"

Ellie backed up as much as she could as Inferno moved closer, her voice rising. Honestly, she was rather used to people walking all over her. It was a natural occurrence for her at school because she was so shy. Though, she did try to make herself noticed as being tough. Baggy pants were comfortable and went well with her multiple ear piercings, hoping that they would grab what she liked to call 'leave me alone attention.' But, those images only worked at a glance.

"I'd rather not resort to violence-" she was sharply cut off by the back of Infernos' hand hitting her clear across the face.

Ellie held her cheek, looking back at Inferno with a horrified glance.

"Get mad. Hit me back, or I'll fuckin' do it again!"

The teen shook her head, not trusting her voice. She found herself on the floor in an instant, her back wounds throbbing. She moved just as Infernos' foot came crashing down.

"Why are you doing this?!" she was on the verge of tears.

"Ya' too fuckin' soft! You ran from home where ya' were fuckin' _spoiled_! Can' even raise ya' voice! Don' even try! You think you gonna' last more than a week on the streets? I surprised you ain't dead yet!" Her fists were burning at this point, the red working its way up her arms. She swung at Ellie, missing and hitting the wall. Her fist left an angry smoldering hole.

Ellie saw her chance to make a break for it and bolted for the door. She cried out when she was yanked back by her tail, falling to the ground.

"You got 'a big, strong body. You fuckin' crushed a cop! Ya' could fuckin' crush me! But, ya' so damn weak in the head! Are you fuckin' cryin' _again?!"_

The young teen couldn't help it. Her back was sore and her face was now throbbing. She was gone from home, most likely to never see her family and close friends again. As far as she knew, her parents and brother were dead. She was in a strange place that she had only heard fowl rumors about. It didn't help that there was a gang leader who couldn't seem to make up her mind on if she wanted to attempt to act kindly to her or keep her around as a beating object.

Ellies' thoughts blurred together with the insults Inferno was now throwing her way. She _was_ weak. She had always been shy with a tender heart. The streets were no place for someone like her, mutant or not. She became angry with herself for thinking that she could make it on her own. For being a coward and running while her parents and brother suffered in her place. The gangsters' words that were now salting her broken conscience only aided in fueling her anger. Why couldn't Inferno stop _talking?_

With a wild yell, she suddenly lunged at Inferno, who took a hard hit, not expecting the attack. She managed to land several painful blows to the scaled mutant before finally receiving damage herself.

Inferno winced as she blocked one of Ellies' powerful fists, pushing her back so she could regain footing. Ellie had winded her, but was far too inexperienced to hit a vital weak spot.

The woman smirked. Now things were getting interesting. She easily dodged Ellies' wild fists and landed a blow to her side.

"Keep ya' arms close to ya' sides!" she barked as she lunged again. She was slightly surprised to find Ellie had listened, her next hit being blocked.

"Good! Stand your ground!"

Ellie lashed out, only to miss, Inferno jamming her elbow to her back.

Ellie stumbled forward, but attacked back with her tail, winding its way around Infernos' leg and yanking her to the floor.

Inferno thudded to the ground and just barely missed Ellies' foot plowing into her face. Her arms were burning more feverishly now, the heat spreading to her chest and torso out of excitement.

"Com'on! You gotta' do a shit load better than that to make it in my gang! Look for an opening an' hit it har-" The wind was suddenly knocked from her as the front of Ellies' foot made contact with her gut sending her flying in the wall. Her body was still ignited as she fell to the floor. Before either had a chance to continue with their brawl, the carpet quickly caught aflame, spreading to the clothes that lay in the corner.

"Fuck!" She attempted to stomp out the flame, only to have it grow. Due to her panic, her feet were starting to heat. "Sona'va' bitch! Fuck it! Ellie, move!"

Ellie found her anger quickly replaced with fear as Inferno forcefully shoved her though the door. Her gut hit the railing non-too gently before being yanked away down the stairwell.

"Fuck! Landlord ain't gonna' be happy! An' I be damned if I gott'a pay damages!"

The two found themselves halting in front of the building as a small explosion came from inside the room. Inferno gave a disappointed sigh, "Damnit. There went the rest of my liquor under the bed…"

Ellie watched the flames lick through the door, neighbors coming out of their apartments to see what was causing all the racket. She finally became aware that they were out in the open, basking in the morning sun…their bodies pretty much fully exposed.

She became frantic as she scanned for a place to hide. The clothes she was wearing did little to conceal herself. Inferno was still mumbling over her lost beer, though she was more then likely to be used to people seeing her. That or she didn't care.

"Mutants!"

Ellie snapped her head around to a man coming out of his apartment. From what she could see, there was an orange glow from a small fire that was coming from it, which made since, considering that his home was directly below Infernos'.

"You freaks did this, didn't you?!"

"Go blow it out'cha ass, Edd!" Inferno shouted at him.

"Inferno…" Ellie started, glancing at the much shorter woman.

Inferno halted her yelling match and turned to the girl with an irritated 'what.'

"People can see us… and I hear sirens. We should go." Her tail was twitching just as nervously as her ears. Between Edd and Infernos' bickering, others were beginning to see that they were there. People on phones suddenly became very noticeable; she was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Yeah, we'll go before Edd pops a fuckin' vain."

She quickly pulled Ellie away from the madness, Edd and a few others shouting after them. She was afraid someone might follow, but, much to her relief, no one did.

They wound up in an ally way in a rather scarcely populated part of town a while later. Inferno patted herself down, only to kick over a garbage can in frustration.

"Fuckin' out'a cigs…" She glanced at Ellie. "I'm guessin' it too much to ask if you got any?"

Inferno sighed when she shook her head. She leaned against the wall, staring out into the street. There wasn't a store open, being Sunday; non that didn't have a camera anyway. She needed a shirt and Ellie needed bigger clothes, cigarettes could wait no matter how loudly her nerves were screaming. She needed someone else to get what they needed, but she no way of contacting anyone. Maybe if she found some loose change…

Ellies' meek voice cut through her train of thought. "What?"

"I said, thank you. For not killing me…or anything…"

"What made ya' think I'd kill ya'? Do I look that bad?"

"W-well…" Inferno wasn't all that easy to figure out. When she wasn't giving her short lessons (attempting anyway) on living on the street she was being aggressive and violent. Then again, she had implied that she had been on the streets most of her life, if not all. It was most likely the only way she knew how to behave. It seemed to her like she had been attempting to be civilized before her temper got the best of her.

That's when something dawned on her. Inferno might have been the leader of a gang, but she had no one else. She hides herself as a man in what Ellie would assume to be an all male gang. She has no real contact with anyone else.

Inferno had gone back to watching the street for passerby, though she seemed miffed.

"Inferno? Did…did you, um…"

"Damnit! Fuckin' say it!"

"Did you want me to…stay?"

Inferno slowly turned, holding a face that Ellie couldn't quit place.

"I-I mean- Well, no, that is what I mean… But- no! Forget I asked! You prefer to be on your own, don't you?"

Ellie was more than half expecting Inferno to tell her to shut up, or make some comment. It somewhat threw her off when she merely sighed and rubbed her skinned shoulder.

"It ain't like I like it, I'm used bein' without anybody. I ain't ever really had anythin'. Been that way since I was…just a few days old actually. Not that I remember that far back…" She seemed to contemplate her next words for a moment; Ellie slightly basking in the much calmer manner Inferno was in. "It… it ain't easy for me, man... sayin' this, but… I've been takin' shit from no one and givin' shit out whenever I feel like it for the past fourteen fuckin' years. It hard for me… to not go after anyone who questions me or talks back. So far, I've beaten the shit out'a anyone who do. But… I know I ain't been the friendliest to ya', but what I said was true. You ain't gonna' last on ya' own. You froze, you fuckin' _cried._ You way too soft."

She paused a moment, watching Ellies' head droop. She was finding it hard to come up with words saying she wanted Ellie to stay. She wanted her company.

"An' I'm too hard. Ellie, you don' know how the streets work. I do. You don' know how to properly throw a punch, I do. I don' know how to act in public or do a lot of things that you do. In my mind, we can help each other. You scratch my back, an' I scratch yours. I can keep the guys off ya', or ya' can get to know them, that's up to you. You'd be stayin' with me… as soon as I get a new damn place. I'd do my best not to snap… But, at's all up to you. I unda'stand if ya' wanna' go on your-"

"Would you really keep others away from me, and teach me how to defend myself?" Ellie was interested. She didn't have a destination when she started out, and she certainly didn't have one now. If Inferno was being honest in what she was saying, Ellie would start looking over furniture for her new home today.

"Fuck yeah! No one goes against my word if they don't want to have their asses handed to'em! An' if I say not to bother you, they won't. If they do, you don't hesitate to tell me, an' I'll set'em strait."

"And you won't attack me anymore?"

Inferno made a face. "That's gonna' be a little harder, though I promise to try to hold my fist… But, that just means we gotta' start your street fightin' lessons sooner."

The teen wasn't too keen on this, but it could possibly help her reflexes and keeping her guard up around others. "I think I can handle it with some work."

Ellie couldn't describe the look on Infernos' face at those words, but if asked, she might have said it was the first real smile Inferno's had in a long while.

"'Ight then," She reached a hand up to Ellie. "Name's Zarra Riddlez. Only you can call me that, an' only in privet."

"Ellie Lovo." She sniffed lightly, taking Zarras' scaled hand into her larger one. It seemed like her life was going to very interesting from here on out.

"Dude, _stop cryin'!_"

***

***

_The math class I'm sitting in right now has reminded me why I __**DESPISE **__math with every fiber of my being. It is pointless... especially when its on a freakin' Saturday, ending at 9:00 freakin' p.m.!_


	6. Chapter 6

Several months had past since Ellie began her life in the gang. Well, she found that they weren't really a gang, but more of a group. There weren't very many people who followed Inferno, only those that were terrified to run into her on an unfriendly basis or saw her as a powerful leader. None of them were mutants, which landed Ellie in a rather awkward position.

When Inferno introduced her to all sixteen of them, they had expected her to be like their leader: rude, harsh, and deadly. Imagine their confusion when she turned out to be a complete coward who could hardly say 'hello.'

Apparently it was very difficult to get in and easy to get killed if one was proving to be useless. Inferno and her second in command chose the group based on loyalty, street smarts, and combat skills. Though, she wasn't too clear on it since Inferno explained and she personally didn't really test them; unless one counted how long they could last one of her beatings. Though, she preferred non-mutant members, saying that they were easier to manipulate. The more intelligent, right hand man, Carter, was mainly in charge of interrogation.

Carter was the only other member she was relatively comfortable with. He was fiercely loyal to his mutant leader and didn't question why she was there. Inferno never gave a direct answer to those that came forward to ask and Ellie was sure it was out of character for her to take in lowly mutants who clearly couldn't hold their own. But, most came to the conclusion that she was Infernos' 'bed buddy.'

She had been staying with Inferno in a new apartment that was larger than the one that was burned. It had taken longer to find one since the police were looking for them since the incident. They had stayed with Carter in his tiny living area for a while, until he found a place where he knew the owner. The owner wasn't too keen on having two mutants move in, but Carter had said the man owed him a favor.

Ellie was willing to find a way to help pay rent, seeing this place was more higher class than the last, but was told not to worry about anything money related. She wondered if each member had a working job or if it was part of Carters 'favor.'

Ellie found 'Zarra' rather difficult to live with at first. She had no idea how she worked, let alone what might set her off. As it turns out, Zarra wasn't just playing the part of a man to keep her place as 'boss,' she really was living a delinquent male lifestyle. She slept late and stayed out until dawn most of the time. She was usually drunk, which Ellie quickly learned to simply lock herself in a room until she could no longer hear the angry yells. She was rude most of the time, teasing Ellie with sexual innuendos; some Ellie didn't really get, but would always become flustered with just the same. But, she was starting to adjust and find a way to make herself useful.

For instance: Zarra kept her living area looking like a pigsty, with empty cans, bottles and takeout containers. She was a little more organized with her clothes, though, keeping them in a messy pile in a corner. Ellie made sure that the apartment was clean, though she did do a half-effort job on it since she hated cleaning herself. But it was better than walking through week old Chinese. She also made it her job to keep the food well stocked, which money was provided for. Zarra didn't eat often, but when she did it was in large quantities, mainly of meat, chips and beer. Much to Zarra's irritation, however, Ellie had started bring home more greener foods.

"I fuckin' brought you here to have a woman companion, not to fuckin' mother me."

Though, the older woman didn't really get on to her too bad for the healthier diet (she really seemed to be trying to keep her temper on a leash). She would, however, work up a storm if her cigarettes and liquor were forgotten. Ellie often wondered how Zarra didn't have a beer gut with as much as she consumed.

Her quite question was answered after her back was fully healed, during her first self-defense lesson at a local dump. Zarra told Ellie that she wanted her to be at her muscle level at least before they got into sparing. However, Ellie surprised even herself when she lifted the large truck tire Zarra was using as a weight with little effort. Zarra was a little pissed to see that someone surpassed her strength without having any former training. But, the teen couldn't help what her mutation gave her.

Ellie's training didn't stop after they vacated the 'training area.' Zarra would attack her randomly from time to time, saying she should always be on her toes. Her reflexes had improved immensely, as well as the number of burns.

She had found early on an interesting fact about Zarra.

She couldn't read.

Ellie was reading the funnies in a Sunday paper and found one she thought Zarra might find amusing. When she handed the paper to her she merely stared at it, her eyebrows knitting together in frustration. Zarra had been very defensive when questioned, then defiant when Ellie opted to teach her.

"You brought me here, allowing me clothes, food and a roof over my head. You're teaching me how to defend myself, how to live on the streets, and allowing me my own space. The least you could do is drop the tough act and let me teach you how to read, damnit!" The gang leader was quickly improving, though Ellie often wondered how someone in Zarra's position, at age twenty-eight, could have gone for so long without such much-needed skill.

She had been very nervous around the others, even when Inferno was present. She did her best to keep her body hidden at all times, though her feet where giving her some trouble. If it wasn't dark she didn't go out. Even when it was dark, she rarely left the walls that hid her from the world.

As time passed, and Inferno forcing her to join in on some small night 'pickpocket raids' (which she became quite good at, despite her large hands), she started becoming more comfortable around the other members. Some were still stiff toward her, but others began opening up around her when she started to. And, true to her word, Inferno beat down anyone who did anything that made Ellie uncomfortable.

Zarra had been noticing some changes in Ellies' behavior when she started interacting with some of the others. She wasn't near as shy as when Zarra first had her by the throat. She would fidget sometimes and was still somewhat soft spoken, but she was now willingly making comments. She was even swearing more often, though, she would still try to keep herself from doing so. She was beginning to snap at others if she didn't like what was being said, immediately apologizing right afterward. However, the apologies were becoming less frequent. Zarra couldn't help but feel somewhat proud, knowing the gangs' antics were rubbing off on this once pampered kid.

Zarra was rather impressed with how far Ellie had come in her defense lessons. There were times when she would come out with more bumps and bruises than her pupil. She couldn't sneak up on her as easily; Ellie had trained her sensitive ears to pick out particular sounds that would escalade into an unseen attack. Zarra had to admit than she was a little jealous of her acute hearing.

Though, there was one thing about her new buddy that was bugging her. She had been interrupted from her sleep from time to time after the first few weeks to find what looked like a giant metal man staring right at her. Her first instinct was to attack the intruder. She wound up bashing her head against the wall the first time, the person being gone when she found her feet. That's all it would ever do; stand and stare then almost melt way.

There were other times when a little boy would run terrified across the room, vanishing before her mind could register what it saw. A man and a woman silently screaming would sometimes make their way down the halls. It creeped the mutant out when this happened while she was sober. She began wondering if the new place was haunted.

She confronted Ellie about it several times, she claiming to never see anything. However, Ellie would play with her tail during these conversations, a sign Zarra learned that meant the girl was nervous. That and she was quick to change the subject.

Zarra had a nagging feeling that Ellie was practicing making illusions. Ellie hadn't used her power since Zarra first dragged her into her old apartment; not that she knew of anyway.

If Ellie was learning to control her ability, why was she lying about it? It wasn't in her character.

There were a few days when she closely watched Ellie, saying she was heading out, only to sneak back. She was as carful as she could be with the teens hearing. These days turned out to be rather boring. She washed clothes, picked up around the apartment and read until it got dark. The most eventful thing she did was when she walked down to a little 24/7 market late at night and bought enough food to last a week before returning home to crawl into bed.

Zarra was starting to believe that she had wasted a good weeks worth of time watching Ellie mold herself into becoming a housewife.

The next day, however, Zarra found Ellie asleep on the couch, her body twitching mildly. She went to wake her up from whatever nightmare she was having, only to stop short when Ellies' eyes snapped wide-open and glazed over.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Whipping around, she found the iron man that usually hovered over her bed standing in the corner. It started toward her, reaching out as if to grab her arm.

Zarra didn't flinch when the mechanical hand glazed through her, pulling back with the small boy in its grasp. Ellie had a layer of light sweat on her forehead, murmuring under her breath as her body tensed.

Zarra turned her back on the sickening image of the child being pulled apart and slapped the sleeping girl as hard as she could.

Ellie jolted awake, falling off the couch in the process. She quickly stumbled to her feet, the image still fresh in her mind. Her breathing began to level out when she found herself in the main room of the three-room apartment, rubbing her now stinging cheek. She was sent back into a panic at turning to find Zarra glaring hard at her.

"You've been keepin' shit from me."

"I-I'm sorry?"

Zarra shoved the taller girl back onto the couch, sliding a hand through her messy hair as she thought of over her next words.

"Those people. You makin'em."

"What people?" she had started fingering her tail.

Now, Zarra had been doing quit well over the past few weeks with keeping her temper in check, as promised. However, there were times when it slipped.

"'What people-' Are you fuckin' kiddin' me! That fuckin' kid I always see runnin' 'round! The same man and woman screamin' their fuckin' lungs out! And that damned, scary-assed metal guy the stares at me the few fuckin' times I do sleep in my own fuckin' bed!" Zarra took a few deep breaths, fighting the urge to fall back on older habits and just start beating Ellie. Maybe if enough brain damage was caused, she'd stop making people appear out of thin air.

She rethought this when she had calmed to see Ellie with her head down. She wasn't messing with her tail, her feet weren't fidgeting and her ears were turned back. Zarra had seen her ears turned in that way on a few occasions, finding this to happen when the teen was upset.

"Ellie," she calmly, yet firmly started. "Why are you makin' them?"

Ellie was silent for a few moments, trying to force herself to keep from crying and her voice from cracking. "I'm not doing it on purpose… I don't even know that I'm making them sometimes…" She couldn't control her power, understandable for someone who had never used them, right?

"Who are they?"

She didn't answer. She was hoping more then anything Zarra wouldn't ask that. It reminder her of what a coward she had been. It hurt.

"Ellie," She looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Infernos' hard ones. "_Who_ the fuck are they?"

The dam broke. "My family and their murderer."

**

**

*gurgle*

I apologize for being so late. You'd think that with 2 months off from school and a Thanksgiving break, I'd have more than enough time to get stuff like this done…

Updates will be more spread out now due to holiday rush classes…

Oh! I also fixed the reference pics link if you're interested. Without the spaces of course.

http:// AnimationMutation. /art/ Mutant-OC- 126039573 (Ellie)

http:// AnimationMutation. /art/ Mutant-OC-2- 126166583 (Zarra)


	7. Note

Ahhh, my readers…

I'm sorry to say that this tale will be put on hold. For how long, I'm not sure. It will NOT be discontinued. I have every intention of finishing it, regardless of how long it will take.

I know where I want it to go, it's the planning for getting to those points that is making me pull my hair out. And it's taking up time I don't have.

I'll still be writing, mainly on ideas that flow much more naturally through my mind, but I will be trying to work on this. I just need a break from it, because I feel that I'm trying to force the story out, and I know from experience that if I force it, it'll come out bad (as you could have noticed starting last chapter…). And I love Toad too make a crappy story.

Again, I'm sorry for leaving you with what little I wrote, without Mortimer even making his appearance yet. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I pick this back up.

Thanks for being awesome, guys!

AM


	8. Chapter 7

She hated herself. Hated how cowardly and selfish she was. She was crying again, for Heavens sake. She had promised herself that she was going to toughen up and try to form a personality that matched her body as much as possible.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

It took a few moments for Ellie to control her emotions, extremely grateful that Zarra was waiting for her. She was waiting impatiently, but waiting all the same.

Ellie glanced up at her roommate, quickly adverting her gaze when seeing hard eyes glaring at her. She knew Zarra demanded an explanation, though she honestly felt as though she didn't need to know any more than what she had already said. But, that was just wishful thinking. Zarra would get what she wanted out of her, one way or another.

"Better?"

"Not really…"

"Ya' know… ah, word 'roun' 'at people feel better after they talk about their… feelin's. 'Specially for women…"

Ellie barked a laugh. "You sound like a school psychiatrist…"

"Maybe they knowin' a thin' or two more then I give'm credit for… So, your family and their killer. I'd piss my pants if I eva' see 'at thing comin' at me, I admit-

"No." She heard Zarra growl at being interrupted, but chose to ignore her. "I don't wann'a talk about it."

"You gonn'a talk wheth'a you like it or not! I be wakin' up to 'at thing standin' over me, an' it fuckin' scares that shit out'a me! I always-" As much as Zarra would have loved to continue working herself up into a violent rage to vent, she was suddenly thrown into a rare state of surprised confusion when Ellie snapped back.

"It scares the shit out of _you_? You hardly ever sleep here, and when you do you're passed out from drinkin'! I've had nightmares almost every damn _night_!" She stood as she spoke, Zarra being dwarfed by her larger form as she moved closer. "I watched them! Watched my parents an' brother try to run! Try to get out of the way as that damn _thing_ comes after me! It wanted me! They were jus' in the way!"

Despite this being her first true, very, emotional outburst, Zarra couldn't help but take note of how Ellie's time around her had done wonders for her vocabulary and grammar. Or, it could have been from her being upset.

"I could have helped! You've seen how strong I am! I could've done somethin'! You know what I did? I ran! I fuckin' _ran_!" She collapsed on the floor, her over-sized hands clasping her head. "I didn' even look back! I don' know if they're alive or dead!" She sobbed for a little longer, Zarra unsure of what to do. Usually if she saw anyone cry she'd ignore it or tell them to shut-up with a backhand for emphasis.

But this wasn't just anyone. This was Ellie, a seventeen-year-old who lived a happy life up until several months ago. Zarra was in her late twenties, grew up in a kill or be killed life. It was hard for her to put herself in Ellie's shoes at times. God knows she made an effort, though.

Still unsure and feeling a strange pull in her gut, Zarra placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder, trying to get her to stop crying.

"Ellie…"

"You're right, Zarra. I'm weak, a coward… I can't seem to get myself together long enough to even be fully accepted into your group…"

This comment caused Zarra to almost laugh. "'Fully accepted'? Hell, I'm not fully accepted, and I run the damn thing!" Her gut twisted again when her words seemed to merely bounce off the girl. "Ellie… damn it, quit your cryin', or I'll give ya' somethin' to really cry about."

It took a few moments, but Ellie started to calm, grateful that she had someone to talk to. It made her feel better. She pulled herself back onto the sofa; mentally preparing herself for the questions she knew would be coming.

"So," Zarra started, "this… thing that attacked ya'… any idea what it was?"

"I-I didn't get a too good look at it. If I did I don't remember. But, I know it looked like a robot from a science fiction movie."

"Did it jus' lunge? Or did it do somethin' else before it jumped?"

"I think it was hunting me…"

"Huntin' you?"

"Yeah, it said somethin' when it spotted me. It was somethin' along the lines of… What was it? 'Mutant detected'?"

Zarra was silent for a moment. Something about this sounded a bit familiar to her. Her thoughts kept traveling to Glitch. He mentioned something about some anti-mutant group making something to capture mutants. She wasn't too clear on the details since he had used a lot of words she didn't understand. Carter could hardly keep up himself. She had an odd feeling that Glitch might have something to do with this. She didn't want to think it, though. She had welcomed the tech mutant in with open arms, sheltered and cared for him. He was loyal. Then again, he did start doing his own, personal research then suddenly ran off first chance he got. Discussions about it with Carter had her thinking that he set her up for an ambush by the police.

She glanced at Ellie, who was doing a good job of trying to keep her composure. Would she pull something similar? She didn't think she would. Then again, she thought the same about Glitch.

"'Ight, movin' on for now. You need to damn well learn how ta' control your powers. I can't have ya' makin' things pop up all ova' the place when ya' got a nightmare. You gonn'a wind up killin' me…"

"How do I control it?"

"Fuck you askin' me for? You the one doin' it!"

"Yeah, but you've been a mutant longer…"

"Ain't mean I can always control it. If I get mad enough, I'll ignite. From what I been seein', if you get scared enough, you make a copy."

Sudden hard and frantic knocking, accompanied low shouts at the door made them both jump. Zarra spit out a few choice words as she opened the door, Carter nearly knocking her over trying to get in.

"The fuck, Carter!"

He didn't respond right away, slamming and locking the door. He was panting hard and looked panicked as he grabbed Zarra by the shoulders.

"Boss! You an' Ellie need to leave! Now, man! Take the fire escape and haul ass!" He was already pushing Zarra to one of the back rooms, grabbing Ellie by her arm. Zarra pushed him back before they got too far, Ellie taking this as a hint, stopped causing Carter be yanked back.

"What the fuck is happenin'? Nothin' ev'a gets you riled up! You damn well bett'a have a fuckin' good reason-"

"The cops got ahold a' Pete, man!"

"'At's it? You fuckin' bust in here 'cause he got caught shopliftin' again-"

"He's fuckin' _dead_, Inferno!"

There was a sharp, uncomfortable silence as Carter let the information sink in. Pete was one of the oldest members of the group, and a terrible pickpocket. But, he was never landed in jail all the times he was caught due to his smooth tongue (though, oiling some palms helped a lot too). That was his thing, he could think quick on his feet and talk his way out of almost any situation. Not only that, but he was one of the few that had started to open up to Ellie and had would even tell her stories of the groups younger days.

"Bunch a' people I ain't ever seen before grabbed'em and dragged'em 'round back of a store fuckin' _beat'em_! He didn' even have a chance! Glitch was there,"

Zarra's face hardened at this. It was difficult to tell what was going through her mind.

"He stopped'em, I was too far away, so I didn' hear much, but he started talkin' ta' Pete. He was bein' all calm about it. Next thing I know, the other guys slit'em and dragged'em off somewhere. I thought I heard one say somein' about 'mutants', so I hauled ass fast as I could! You an' Ellie gotta' leave, now-"

"Fuck 'at!" Zarra shoved Carter aside, making her way to the front door.

"Dude! Where the hell you goin'!" Zarra turned on her heel, pulling Carter down to his face level.

Ellie could honestly admit that she was more than relieved that the older woman wasn't looking in her direction. She was beyond pissed. Her already hard eyes were drawn into almost black slits, mouth in a twisted snarl with her tobacco-stained teeth grinding. The aged lines from years of nicotine making long, deep shadows, her scars helping to distort her features farther. Some of the scales around her collarbone were igniting, causing an eerie glow from under her face.

"I run from fucking no one." There was a slight quiver in her voice from her trying to keep a cap on her rage. "If what you sayin' is right, I will fuckin' _end_ him."

"Boss! Ya' know how quiet Glitch was 'bout what he could do! What if there was more to his powers that we don' know 'bout? He was with us long enough to know how everybody thinks. He might be killin' the others if 'e ain't done it already, man!"

Carter might as well had been talking to a brick wall for all the good it was doing. Zarra merely glared at a spot on the wall. Ellie would have tried to talk some sense into the woman, as she strongly agreed with what Carter was saying, however she felt that Zarra would turn on her, and she didn't want to feel the butt of her anger any more than she had too.

"Ellie!" She snapped from her thoughts as Carter suddenly turned to her. "Talk to'em! He might listen to ya'! Tell'em not to go after Glitch!"

She suddenly felt torn. While she agreed with Carter, Zarra was her friend. Though she knew better then to base her decision on that, she felt strongly about supporting Zarra in whatever choice she made. It might have been because of the fact they were both mutants, but, she believed, that it had more to do with her accepting Zarra as her leader. Even though she would badger and mother Zarra to some extent, she always went along with whatever decision she had made, no matter if she bucked or whined the whole way.

She had learned early in her life that she was not leader material. Before her mutation, she didn't really have anyone to follow, feeling more like she was wondering through her existence. It might have been because of her mutation that she felt so strongly about it, but she felt that Zarra had proved herself to be a fantastic leader for her to follow: an alpha for her omega.

However, before anything could be said, the front door was harshly pounded on, the force causing the wood to splinter. It was suddenly bashed inward, as several men in military garb entered the room, guns erect.

Ellie and Carter backed farther into the room, the female wondering what they could have done to prompt the army to bash in the door; Zarra however, stood her ground, glaring past the weapons being shoved in her face. Instead her attention landed on a thin and lanky man with light tussled hair and square glasses, which obscured his eyes. He looked like the cliché type who used to have his lunch money stolen by a bully during middle school.

"Inferno." He smiled as he said it, in a sickly sweet way. To which Inferno replied through gritted teeth.

"Glitch."

"My, quite an upgrade you went through since last I was here. I like this set up much more then that little rat hole you were in." He paused when he came to a large pile of clothes. "But, anywhere you would live quickly becomes a rat hole, doesn't it?"

"Wha' you doin' here?"

"You sound angry, Inferno. You were usually so happy when I was around. Why the sudden hostility?"

"Don' you fucking shit me 'roun'!" Her scales suddenly and harshly ignited, her shirt caching fire, pieces of it landing around her in a smoldering heap. The sudden mass of heat caused the men to take a step back to avoid being burned themselves.

"You were always snoopin' roun' where you didn' need ta' be! Always askin' thin's 'at were none your business! Nev'a tellin' me nothin' 'at was goin' through ya' head!"

"That never seemed to bother you." Glitch continued, Infernos' anger not bothering him. "You never questioned me, never tried to stop me from doing whatever I wanted. How was I supposed to know that you didn't like how I behaved? You even ignored most of what Carter told you about me.

Oh, yes, Carter. I know all about you following me about and reporting back to your master, like a good lap dog. No need to give me such a look. It didn't do you any good, did it?"

Ellie glanced down at Carter beside her; she could almost feel the anger radiating from him. Inferno she could feel her anger in the form of heat still. If it weren't for the guns still being pointed at them, she would had been more worried the scales on the bottom of Infernos' feet were going to catch soon and set the room on fire.

She had thought that Inferno and Glitch were close, or at least had been. Hearing this bit had her thinking that they were around one another only for the fact that they were both mutants. Ellie hadn't heard much about Glitch other than his powers had something to do with computers, Inferno accepting him without issue, and he disappeared the night she had first met Inferno. Whenever she tried to ask about him, she usually received a nasty glare or a beer bottle chucked in her general direction. Getting information from Carter wasn't any better, other than he didn't like the male mutant for his sneaky behavior, he knew little to nothing.

Ellie was snapped from her musings when Glitch directed his attention to her.

"And who's this rather hulking mass, hmm? Couldn't stand to be without another mutant at your side? From what I've heard, you replaced me fairly quick; the night I ran off, I believe. That hurts, Inferno."

"Not as much as it will when I bash your fuckin' face in! Then I gonn'a rip your god damn leg off an' fuckin' beat you with it for what you did ta' Pete!"

At this, Glitch merely chuckled. "Your sad little excuse for a faction is the least of your worries."

His fingers snapped, muted gunfire going off before any real reaction could be made. Inferno made a swipe at the closest gunman, but fell before she could reach. Ellies' mind was in slow motion for several eternities, seeing Zarra flop to the floor, trying to get back up before falling in a motionless heap, then the guns being aimed at herself and Carter.

She was terrified. She didn't think that she was this frightened when Inferno first had her slammed against a wall with her back bleeding from bullet holes.

Carter fell without a sound beside her, the hole in his head gushing more blood then it should have been. The gun he was just pulling from his pocket fell with him. Ellie would never forget that face that would forever be frozen in time. His eyes wide, mouth parted in a scream that would never be heard, as his skin quickly paled. If she lived through this, she was positive that her friends' dying eyes would forever haunt her.

It wasn't until she felt a pinprick of pain in her shoulder and arm did time suddenly speed up. She looked down at herself to find not bullet holes, but what looked like little needles. She snapped back to the men, her mind suddenly feeling sluggish.

Drugged.

That was the only thing she could think of since she wasn't feeling any pain of dying. Or was that how dying worked? You didn't feel it right away? Her mind was clear enough to notice that Zarra had the same needle looking thing sticking out of her. A small sigh of relief washed over her, which quickly hardened into anger. Pete was dead, and now so was Carter. The others were more then likely gone as well. Why did they die? What the hell was the reason to kill them if they were going to keep her and Inferno alive?

She shouted and lunged herself forward, grabbing two men by their helmet covered head and slammed them into the wall, almost breaking through the wall. She was pelted with more drugged ammo, but she refused to go down. She couldn't see anything but blurs of color by now, as she kicked out her foot, landing a hit on another man. However, in doing so she lost her balance and fell hard. Her head lolled as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Oh, yes," a wispy voice echoed in her muffled ears. "You both with fetch a high price."

* * *

_Well, would ya'll look at this? I updated! About time, right?_

_Now, I'm still chugging along in school, and my workload increases the farther I get now that I've changed programs, but I've seemed to have gotten my muse back for this story, so updates should no long be over a year in between._

_Yeesh… it just hit me… it's been over a year since I last updated this one… And my writing has improved, I've noticed! Hopefully, ya'll did too (halfway through the chapter…)!_

_Well, until our next meeting!_


	9. Chapter 8

Ellie's nose twitched in distaste as a damp musk wafted through her senses, signaling parts of her brain to wake. Her body felt heavy when she tested moving her fingers, toes, and tail. Her eyes were difficult to open and she was contemplating on just letting them stay closed and drift back to sleep when she felt something brush against her leg.

Her body suddenly didn't feel so heavy as her foot jerked out, landing a hit on a sold object. It let out a low grunt and landed somewhere. Ellie forced her arms underneath herself, heaving her upper body up off of the cold, hard floor. It took several long seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, seeing a form moving.

"Fuck, Ellie!"

Ellie let out a relieved shaky breath and moved to stand, leaning against the wall to keep her stiff body from falling.

"Sorry, Zarra. Thought you were… someone else."

She took in her surroundings as Zarra nursed her bruising belly. The room was circular and small, ceiling too low for Ellie to stand completely up in. The walls looked to be damp, little rivulets of water here and there. The floor sloped down toward the center of the room where there was a small drain; not that it helped much. Both walls and floor were covered in green and brown algae, making Ellie feel slightly nauseous as her bare feet slipped through some of the thicker patches. There was one light in the center of the ceiling, florescent, pale and making a dull 'hum', casting the room in an eerie yellow color. It would flicker every now and then, plunging the room in darkness for a split second.

Ellie covered her nose, the smell of what she guessed was faint wastewater from farther beyond the walls starting to become over powering.

"Where are we?"

"Hell if I know. Came to just 'for you did. Can ya' hear anythin' outside?"

Ellie strained her ears, flipping them this way and that to pick up something.

"I hear… movement. But, I can't tell how far away it is or exactly where it's coming from. There's too much water. Think we're underground?"

She jumped when Zarra suddenly punched a wall, her face twisted in anger.

"I'll fuckin' kill'em! I'll rip that goddamned, fuckin' smirk off his fuckin' smug-ass face!" She began grabbing her hair, pulling clumps out in her rage. "I'm gonn'a melt his dick off! Nice an' fuckin' slow! Then force it down his mother fuckin' throat!"

"Hey! Quit pullin' your hair out!"

The two tussled for a several moments, Zarra screaming profanities that Ellie had never heard before and Ellie trying to keep her focused on not further harming herself.

She just about had Zarra pinned to the ground when a loud scraping noise took both of their attention. They scrambled up in time to watch part of the wall slide open.

A group of men, clad in black military armor and what looked to be gas masks, blocked the way. Ellie felt Zarras' muscles tense, preparing to launch herself at them. Before she could prevent her friend from doing anything stupid, one man pulled out two canisters and tossed them into the room. As soon as they bounced on the ground, a pale blue smoke erupted from them, quickly filling the room.

Ellie held her breath for as long as she could, the smoke almost fully dispersing, when two more canisters landed at her feet.

She began coughing violently as she choked on the sour fumes. She felt her mind clouding and her senses dulling almost immediately. Her limbs tingled for a few seconds before going numb, feeling as if heavy weights had been tied to them.

She stumbled into the wall when the smoke cleared. Her vision was blurred around the edges, the images being pulled and stretched. While her body felt heavy her mind was light; she almost liked the feeling.

She tripped over her own feet as she was lead down a series of halls. She didn't know which way she was going, nor how many turns she made. Her tail was stepped on at one point, as it dragged the ground behind her, and though her brain registered the pain, she didn't acknowledge it in anyway.

She was stopped and forced to sit at some point. A figure came to her and said a few garbled words before she felt her arms being lifted. They stayed suspended in the air until they were forced to her sides again. A bright light flashed in front of her eyes, something pried her mouth open and poked around, she was forced to stand and move around in odd ways. She felt exposed for a few moments for some reason or other before suddenly becoming too cold too quick. Cold and wet. She sat again, her head starting to feel lighter. She tried to keep up with all the movement going on a round her, but she was already making her way down another hall before she could make out much of anything else.

She bumped into a soft, solid object, her mind subconsciously registering it as a person. She glanced ahead of them, they seeming to not fully notice her, and found herself in a short line. Everything around her was dark, or she couldn't make out colors in the dime light. She was turned, her shoulder bumping the people next to her, before they were spread apart from one another.

She didn't know how long she stood there, staring into space. Figures were moving past her vision, looking like dark blurs, garbled whispers fleeting past her ears. Then, all was still.

Her eyes squinted in reflex when a blinding light suddenly illuminated her. A loud voice echoed around her, hurting her ears. From the outer rim of her stretched vision, she saw a figure stumble away from the line, another figure coming to stand next to them, as the booming voice rattling her eardrums once again.

She ignored the figures, staring blankly into the black abyss before her. As her eyes adjusted, she began to notice vague shapes in the dark. She guessed there were many more figures out there, watching her. Her mind began to panic slightly at the thought, however, the feeling died quickly as she began to pick out random shapes in the dark.

A rabbit was starting to form when she was suddenly yanked forward. She was stopped short nearly falling into the abyss. There was a hand on either arm, which she was grateful for as they kept her from toppling over.

She swayed from side to side for a short time, stopping as she was roughly pulled downward by her chin. A wide face greeted her, as her head was forcibly turned to the side. Garbled words floated through her ears, picking out a word or two, but she was unable to process them. Her chin was released after a time, her hands and tail now being pulled at.

After her feet had been prodded for a bit, she was lead back into line. She didn't know how much longer she stood there, and at this point she didn't much care. She stared into nothing as she was now uninterested in anything else around her, though she noticed that that everything was starting to sway to and fro.

She stumbled a bit as she was twisted to the side. She fell non-too gracefully when she was pushed forward, her legs refusing to support her any longer. She winced as her head painfully collided with the floor, but didn't move any farther, content with staying on the floor. It was getting difficult to keep her eyes open as pain spread through her head. She lost what little conscience she had as hands began lifting her.

_Sorry it's short, but it was a pain in the ass to go through for some reason and I just wanted it done. I figure it works for what I've got planed for the next installment._

_I've noticed that I'm just now starting to give Ellie more of a personality other then being whinny and submissive. Better late then never, I suppose._


End file.
